Chalfont St Peter CofE Academy

Inspection of a school judged good for overall effectiveness before September 2024: Chalfont St Peter CofE Academy Penn Road, Chalfont St Peter, Gerrards Cross, Buckinghamshire SL9 9SS

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Outcome

Evidence gathered during this ungraded (section 8) inspection suggests that aspects of the school’s work may not be as strong as at the time of the previous inspection. The school’s next inspection will be a graded inspection. The headteacher of this school is Nicola Alburg. This school is the only school in Chalfont Saint Peter Church of England Academy trust. The trust is overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by James King.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils at this school are polite, respectful and welcoming. They describe their school as ‘a really happy place where learning is fun’. Pupils understand how the school’s ‘Golden Rule’ helps them to work towards their vision of fulfilment, joy and success.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well, both within the classroom and beyond. They know that if they have any worries, staff will help them. Pupils attend well because they enjoy school. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) thrive. This is because the school ensures that every child is able to participate fully in both the academic curriculum and a range of enrichment activities.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high expectations for all pupils. In English and mathematics, pupils achieve well. However, in many of the other subjects, an ambitious curriculum is not yet securely in place. Consequently, some pupils do not achieve as well as they should do.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils take on a wide range of leadership roles, which help them to develop a sense of responsibility. Pupils develop a sense of citizenship through active participation in the community and their local church. Pupils make visits to places of interest. Through experiences such as these, they learn about life beyond their locality. 20 and 21 May 2025

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

The school is proud of the ways in which it promotes pupils’ love of reading. Teachers select interesting texts for pupils to explore and visiting authors inspire pupils to read widely and often. Staff check pupils’ reading skills carefully so that they understand their needs. Pupils who struggle with reading benefit from a well taught, carefully designed phonics programme. Staff provide regular support and interventions for these pupils to help them catch up. Consequently, pupils become accurate and fluent readers.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

The school has identified the areas that it needs to improve and has begun to develop some aspects of the curriculum. However, it has not effectively prioritised the actions it needs to take to secure rapid and sustained improvements to pupils’ educational experience. In some areas, governors lack the detail that they need to robustly hold the school to account. This means that they do not have an accurate picture of where the school is doing well and where it needs to focus its attention. Following a period of change to leadership and staffing, the school has carefully considered the need to support its staff. Staff appreciate this commitment to their welfare and workload.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

In subjects, such as English and mathematics, pupils benefit from a curriculum which is carefully designed. As a result, pupils use what they already know to build a secure understanding of these subjects. However, in other subjects, the school has not ensured that the curriculum is as carefully developed or implemented as it intends. Consequently, in these subjects, pupils are not supported well enough to build up their knowledge or demonstrate that they can apply their learning independently. Additionally, in the wider curriculum subjects, teachers do not routinely check what pupils remember over time. Therefore, they do not rectify pupils’ misconceptions effectively. Some pupils have unaddressed gaps in their knowledge.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Pupils with SEND achieve well. The school identifies pupils’ needs promptly. Staff make necessary adaptations to their teaching of the curriculum to help pupils with SEND build their subject knowledge well. The school encourages and supports disadvantaged pupils, including those with SEND, to participate in every aspect of school life, such as joining clubs and taking on leadership roles. Pupils leave the school prepared for their next steps.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Pupils have a positive attitude to their learning. They show respect for one another and help each other willingly. Pupils understand the importance of working hard in class.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

The school’s work to support pupils’ wider development is effective. Pupils are prepared well for life in modern Britain. Pupils learn about a range of faiths and cultures and show tolerance and respect for people’s differences. Pupils become active citizens by raising money for charities and taking part in local traditions, such as ‘Feast Day’.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 20 and 21 May 2025

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some subjects, the school has not constructed a curriculum that clearly sets out the logical progression and sequence for what pupils should know and remember over time. Where this is the case, pupils do not achieve as much as they should. The school should make sure that the curriculum is coherently designed with ambitious end points, so that it is clear precisely what pupils should learn and when.  Some of the checks that staff make on pupils’ understanding do not accurately identify gaps and misconceptions. That means, for some pupils, gaps in learning are not addressed, meaning they do not learn as well as they should. The school must ensure that staff use the school’s assessment strategies efficiently to accurately identify and address gaps in pupils’ learning.  The school, including those with responsibility for governance, do not have a secure enough understanding of how well pupils learn across the curriculum. This means that

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

they are not able to focus the school’s future improvement priorities as sharply as they should. The school should ensure that leaders and governors strengthen how they evaluate the school’s curriculum offer so that improvement work is more rapid.

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Background

Until September 2024, on a graded (section 5) inspection we gave schools an overall effectiveness grade, in addition to the key and provision judgements. Overall effectiveness grades given before September 2024 will continue to be visible on school inspection reports and on Ofsted’s website. From September 2024, graded inspections will not include an overall effectiveness grade. This school was, before September 2024, judged good for its overall effectiveness.

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Background

We have now inspected the school to determine whether it has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at that previous inspection. This is called an ungraded inspection, and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school’s work has improved significantly or that it may not be as strong as it was at the last inspection, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection. A graded inspection is carried out under section 5 of the Act. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good for overall effectiveness in November 2019. 20 and 21 May 2025

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How can I feed back my views?

find out what other parents and carers think. We use information from Ofsted Parent View when deciding which schools to inspect, when to inspect them and as part of their inspection.

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How can I feed back my views?

The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school.

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Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

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Further information

In the report, ‘disadvantaged pupils’ is used to mean pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND); pupils who meet the definition of children in need of help and protection ; pupils receiving statutory local authority support from a social worker; and pupils who otherwise meet the criteria used for deciding the school’s pupil premium funding (this includes pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years, looked after children (children in local authority care) and/or children who left care through adoption or another formal route). 20 and 21 May 2025

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 5 and 6 November 2019, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is the only school in Chalfont Saint Peter Church of England Academy Trust.  The headteacher took up her post in September 2024.  The school has a religious character, and is a Church of England School. It was last inspected under Section 48 of the education act in May 2019.  The school does not currently use any alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of a school’s education provision.  This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  During the inspection, the inspector met with members of staff, the headteacher and other senior leaders, subject leaders and the special educational needs coordinator. The 20 and 21 May 2025

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inspector also met with members of the local governing body and had telephone discussions with representatives from the diocese and the local authority.  The inspector visited a sample of lessons, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspector reviewed the single central record, took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils; and considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  The inspector considered the views of members of staff who responded to Ofsted’s online staff survey. The views of parents were taken into account from the responses to the Ofsted Parent View survey and free-text responses. The inspector met with groups of pupils formally and informally to discuss their views of the school.

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Inspection team

Clare Morgan, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 20 and 21 May 2025

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achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children’s social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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